as trump ally push to release surveillance of the search. and mike pence today doubling down on defending the fbi. the emotional day in court. vanessa bryant, the wife of kobe bryant, breaking down on stand, describing her pain after first responders leaked photos of the helicopter crash that killed the nba legend and their daughter. reporter: after a summer of travel chaos, the department of transportation cracking down. our exclusive with secretary pete buttigieg, the ultimatum he s giving the airlines ahead of labor day. danger in the water. two shark attacks at the same beach on the same day. and uniting for ukraine. the music with a message inspiring america. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening. we are reminded again tonight just how high the stakes are in the war in ukraine as focus turns to the state of the ukrainian nuclear power plant now in the hands of russian forces. ukraine official making some pretty disturbing claims